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embark on an adrenaline high
With our In the Know locations for Commonwealth Games inspired action
How to host your own Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast
Whilst athletes at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games may have 12-days of action-packed, competition-fuelled sport ahead of them, that doesn't mean visitors won't be able to nab themselves a slice of the action. Take advantage of the Gold Coast's flair for fitness and embark on an adrenaline high with our in the know locations for Commonwealth Games inspired action.
1. Skypoint Climb
Climb to new heights as you soar 230 metres high above the ground at SkyPoint Observation Deck, taking in staggeringly beautiful 360-degree views across the Gold Coast. Feel like taking on a challenge worthy of a gold medal? Embark on a 90-minute Skypoint Climb. The city's highest outdoor adventure takes you from the observation deck on level 7, all the way up towards the highest point of the building, also known as 'the crow's nest'.
2. Racecentre
Have a spin around Australia's most advanced racing simulation track with state-of-the-art replication of real-life racing courtesy of full-motion, surround screens and surround sound technology. Drivers have the opportunity to choose any international luxury vehicle including F1, V8, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari and more. Get in on the action behind the wheel.
3. A Private Jet Boarding Lesson on Wave Break Island
Crystal Blue Yacht Charters introduces you to the Gold Coast's most action-packed water sports. Spend the day on a water-bound Queensland adventure, sailing towards Wave Break Island for your own private jet boarding lesson. Take a splash at mastering the art of Jet Boarding, or try your hand at para-sailing or wakeboarding – it's a high like no other!
4. Tee off on Australia's only Arnold Palmer Golf Course
As Australia's only Arnold Palmer signature course, The Pines is strictly a members-only club – that is, until you arrive at InterContinental. Resort guests receive exclusive non-member access to the course and country club, bound to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This golfing adventure has a course rating of 74 off the black tees and 72 off the blue tees ensuring that you're in for an unforgettable game.
5. Adrenaline High Guaranteed: Indoor Skydiving
FLY Gold Coast is Australia's second state of the art indoor skydiving facility and vertical wind tunnel and it's located right in the heart of Surfer's Paradise. There's even the chance to join a competition of your own with the 2018 Australian Open Indoor Skydiving Championships coming to iFLY Downunder (Sydney) this August 24th - 25th. Don't worry – it's not for pros only - flyers of all levels are welcome to have a go!


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Nighat Shafi
Bio PDF
Smt. Nighat Shafi
Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Development and Welfare of Women And Children
Smt. Nighat Shafi exemplifies a mother figure – composed and warm, yet stern. She spent most of her life looking after her children and shielding them from the militancy that hit her home state of Kashmir. But when she moved back to Srinagar from Delhi, in 1995, and saw families and children torn by militancy, Smt. Shafi's life took a new turn. She realized that the scars of the ugly incidents of killings by militants and the army are very deep.
At a time when hardly any woman would have liked to step out for fear of life, much less come out for doing social work, Smt. Shafi stepped out of a comfortable home and started out with visiting inmates at Srinagar's lone mental institution and trying to improve conditions there. That is when she saw that apart from the physical toll, the conflict had ripped emotional lives in the valley. Since then there is nothing she has not done to help women and children in Kashmir to recover from the trauma of violence, and enjoy laughter, arts and education and live fulfilling lives.
Smt. Shafi, with an objective of providing a helping hand to women and children affected by the violence in the strife-torn valley instituted HELP (Human Effort for Love and Peace) Foundation in 1997. The prime focus has been on providing education and mental health counseling to women and children.
Smt. Shafi runs an orphanage Shehjaar which is a home for 30 boys in Inderhama, Hazratbal, in Srinagar. Under Smt. Shafi's guidance, HELP focused on working in Kupwara, which was the worst militancy affected district in the valley. She set up the Shah Anwar Memorial Secondary School in Khumeriyal village in 2000 and the HELP Foundation Model School Mawar, in Handwara in 2006. She also conducts a range of initiatives to teach women skills and help them generate livelihoods. The vocational training centre is carrying out most vital activity seeing the need to make the women self reliant, who are victims of violence because they have lost the wage earners of their families. Smt. Shafi facilitates the women with embroidery and tailoring classes, in Srinagar and Kupwara and a food processing centre in Srinagar. Products are sold at their store in the city.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Goldenmajer Kraków – polski klub futsalowy z Krakowa. Od sezonu 1996/1997 do 1998/1999 występował w I lidze. W sezonie 1997/1998 drużyna zajęła trzecie miejsce w ekstraklasie.

Przypisy

Polskie kluby futsalowe
Sport w Krakowie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Community and Learning team is here to connect a wide range of people to Stowe House in new and imaginative ways – and that includes you! We are really excited to welcome more people (including those who might not have been to Stowe before) and we want to give an inspirational experience of heritage by sparking your imaginations.
In particular, we want you to take part in the life of Stowe House, which has a long tradition of creativity and innovation.
Our family events programme is designed to allow everyone to uncover more of Stowe's stories in a hands-on and fun way.
Our community projects allow local groups to work with creative practitioners and contribute to the continuing creative tradition at Stowe. These projects form part of the decoration of our Welcome Centre and the visitor activities that we offer in the House.
Our learning programme includes visits to the House, creative projects and downloadable resources. All of our formal learning is based on a creative, hands-on and active approach.
Each of our aims is part of the wider Enlightenment for All project which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, World Monuments Fund (Britain) and a number of private donors.


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3 Iraq delegations secretly visited Israel
January 7, 2019 at 1:32 pm | Published in: Iran, Iraq, Israel, Middle East, News, Palestine
The flag of Israel [Larry Koester/Flickr]
Prominent Iraqi delegations undertook secret visits to Israel on three separate occasions, despite the two countries not maintaining official diplomatic relations.
The delegations – comprised of 15 Iraqi leaders – visited Israel and met with Israeli government officials on three occasions over the last few months of 2018, the Times of Israel reported, citing Israel's Hadashot TV channel. The groups also met with Israeli academics and visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, a site often visited by foreign dignitaries on official visits to Israel.
The Times of Israel added that "the [Iraqi] groups made the trips, which were firmly designated as unofficial visits, under conditions of great secrecy […] in part in order to avoid antagonising Iraq's Iranian neighbours." The aim of the meetings, the TV report added, was "to build the infrastructure for future ties" between Iraq and Israel.
READ: US' Pompeo: 'We have developed relations between Israel and Arab countries'
Though the exact identity of the Iraqi leaders in question remains unknown, the Israeli daily revealed that they "were not from Iraqi Kurdistan […] but rather from Iraq proper — that is, Baghdad," adding: "The three delegations comprised both Sunni and Shia members — influential figures in Iraq."
That the Iraqi delegates were "from Iraq proper" is significant in light of the fact that Iraq and Israel do not hold formal diplomatic relations. The two countries are technically at war as a result of Iraq's involvement in both the 1967 War and 1973 War, both of which ended without formal peace deals being reached. Though Iraqi Kurdistan has fostered relations with Israel over the years, Iraq itself has followed the Arab League's boycott of Israel.
The news will be seen as yet more evidence of the increasing normalisation between Arab states and Israel. Israel's efforts to this end intensified dramatically in 2018, with Israeli establishment figures attending public meetings with Omani, Emirati and Bahraini officials. During a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Oman in October, the Sultanate's Foreign Minister Yousuf Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah said: "Israel is a state present in the region, and we all understand this. Maybe it is time for Israel to be treated the same [as others states] and also bear the same obligations." In a rare move, Oman has since granted permission for Israel to use its airspace though, without a similar offer from Saudi Arabia, the promise will be of no practical use to Israel.
WATCH: Mosul gets back on the road
Even with a lack of formal relations, Israeli-Iraqi affairs have been fraught. Just today it emerged that the long-awaited US peace deal – dubbed the "Deal of the Century" – would include a demand that Arab states pay $250 billion to Israel in compensation for property left behind by the countries' Jewish communities in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Given the once-sizeable Jewish community in Iraq, Baghdad will likely be asked to pay a large proportion of this compensation, likely straining relations further. Though Israel enacted a law in 2010 stating that any future peace deal must provide for compensation for the lost assets of Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) Jewish communities, today's move represents the first time a formal demand has been made.
In December, Israel's military intelligence chief Major-General Tamir Hayman claimed that Iraq could become a springboard for Iranian attacks against Israel, saying: "Iraq is under the growing influence of the Quds Force [a covert Iranian foreign operations unit] and Iran [which] see Iraq as a convenient theatre for entrenchment, similar to what they did in Syria, and to use it as a platform for a force build-up that could also threaten the State of Israel." A similar claim was made by Israel's Security Minister Gilad Erdan in October.
Meanwhile relations between Israel and Iraqi Kurdistan have been developing in recent years. In May, Israeli MKs held a debate in the Knesset to examine ways in which Israel could help the Kurds establish an independent state in Syria, Iraq and Turkey, citing the need to establish "an independent Kurdish state that supports Israel". Kurds have likewise been known to express support for Israel. In September 2016, hundreds of Kurds attended a memorial service in Duhok, north of Mosul, to pay their respects to former president of Israel Shimon Peres, claiming Peres was one of the first heads of state who openly showed support for Kurdish independence.
IranIraqIsraelMiddle EastNewsPalestine


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https://www.thehour.com/sports/article/Georgia-Mexico-Curacao-advance-8243027.php
Georgia, Mexico, Curacao advance
Published 8:00 pm EDT, Saturday, August 22, 2009
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A strong performance by Jonathan Crompton in Tennessee's scrimmage wasn't enough for him to lock up the starting quarterback job.
"It's going to be interesting to see as we watch this out and make some final decisions as the week progresses and what coach wants to do in regards to that," Volunteers offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said. "I think it's been the best thing for our football program to keep the competition on."
Crompton, a senior, was 17 for 31 with 266 yards passing, two touchdowns and an interception. His competition, junior Nick Stephens, finished 9 for 17 with 90 yards and no touchdowns.
Coach Lane Kiffin has said he likes how the competition has forced the two quarterbacks to improve but wants to have a starter chosen at least a week before the Sept. 5 opener against Western Kentucky.
Crompton, who lost the starting job in 2008 after four games only to regain it for the final two games of the 5-7 season, made a few plays on the run.
When an offensive play fell apart, Crompton scrambled and connected with fullback Kevin Cooper on a 46-yard pass. He also found Brandon Warren on a 34-yard pass and Marsalis Teague for a 27-yard play.
"You don't want to make a bad play worse," Crompton said. "If you have to throw it away, throw it away. If you've got to run, then go ahead and run. It's something we pride ourselves on, and I think we're doing an OK job of that right now."
That wasn't the case always. Crompton forced the pass that was picked off by Eric Gordon after the called play fell apart -- a mistake reminiscent of his struggles from a year ago. He threw several other potential interceptions that were dropped.
Stephens for a second week appeared to be the victim of more dropped passes by wide receivers than Crompton and had a few solid pass plays erased by penalties.
"I think I had a pretty good day, and I think the week leading up to this I had a pretty good week," Stephens said. "It's their decision, and whatever they chose, everyone has faith in them."
A few other offensive players made their case for playing time. Warren, who caught a 6-yard scoring strike from Crompton, led all receivers with 67 yards on five catches.
Freshman David Oku finished ahead of other tailbacks with 45 yards rushing on 14 tries. Fellow freshman Bryce Brown had 28 yards on only four carries and a 5-yard touchdown run.
Though Brown has earned plenty of praise from his coaches for his performances in the Vols' scrimmage, he may not be available to play in the season opener. The NCAA is investigating whether money was improperly raised for the Wichita, Kan., native to visit colleges during his sophomore year of high school.
Brown may have to repay the money and sit out a few games this season as punishment.
Kiffin wanted to create a game-day atmosphere for the Vols during the scrimmage to get a better feel for how they will perform during the season.
The Vols went through the exact same pregame schedule that they will keep throughout the season, warmed up to the same music they will use all season, played four quarters and even kicked off at 12:21 -- game time for Western Kentucky.
Kiffin said he was pleased with how the first half of the scrimmage went but thought the energy of his team dropped off after halftime.
"We're going to have to work on continuing to finish," he said. "I don't think it was a conditioning issue. I just thought that we had them ready to go the first half and not as good in the second."


What would be do without Cowgirls? What would we do without the ropers, trick riders and rodeo queens? How could we live without the ladies who ride the range and keep the wild west alive? This is a tribute to the Cowgirls young and old, Cowgirls past and present, and Cowgirls of today. It's for the gals who grab the traditions of yesterday and ride with them into the future. It is a dedication to those who race like the wind, circle the cows, cut out the duds and ride with the best. To the poets and artists and teachers of life. To those who don't mind jumping in without fear and giving their all because it's the right thing to do. Not here's not suggesting you don't be a lady, what's being said is never forget who you are. Always let yourself and your beauty shine thorugh no matter how dusty you get or how tired you are. Try to always be strong, remember your friends, be nice to your horse, then put on your lipstick and never, NEVER back down to the guys!
We've seen the beauties of the rodeo...roping, racing, riding the bulls and the broncs and sometimes hittin' the dirt! Their spirits are strong and their beauty shines through. They have the grace and poise of the princesses and queens, that they are. For over a hundred years these ladies have made the range a more beautiful place in which to live. But don't even start thinking that's all there is to them, they are the heart and soul of every ranch, every rodeo, and every cowboy around! They just enjoy lookin' extra good doin' it!
To share your dreams or view other's dreams go to Cowgirl Dreams, a part of Janet's Let's Rodeo Page!
"The cowboy is the epitome of the true American Spirit. He is a friend to everyone and a threat to no one. He is an entrepreneur of character and not of materialism. He is slow to speak and slow to anger. His hard work and long hours show on his leather-though face. He stands tall in the face of adversity and has many scars to show for it. His agenda may include pulling a calf or riding a cold-backed horse. He possesses wisdom and knowledge from life's school of hard knocks. He is as much a philosopher as he is an athlete. He can compete in his sport without fanfare or big salaries of other athletes. He is satisfied with meager possessions, but he is king of his domain. He led man and beast across raging rivers and untamed wilderness. He took pride in saving one stray calf from death in a blizzard. His honesty and integrity was inherent as his ability to ride. He didn't have to be told to appreciate nature or fear his Creator. His lifestyle is vanishing and God knows we need more Cowboys. You would know he wore a white hat if it wasn't so old and dusty!"


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Last week, the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas showcased some emerging consumer technologies, including every-day wearable health-tech, from a sensor which tests food for peanuts to air-bags for your hip. As more Baby Boomers enter their golden years, the opportunities for applications of such relatively simple health-tech gadgets are plenty.
At the other end of the complexity spectrum, research and development into brain-computer interfaces, which allow the manipulation of computers and machinery with thoughts, is excitingly progressing. Understandably, the uptake and commercialisation of this sort of technology will be more cautious. Setting aside ethical and moral concerns (of which there are many), hurdles abound, including privacy and cyber-security issues which inevitably arise wherever there is interconnectivity. The law will play an important role in balancing the regulation of these technologies with allowing them to have the positive impact their potential promises..
Are you frustrated by Brexit? If so, that's more than can be said of the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) £13m a year lease at Canary Wharf.


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HANSARD 1803–2005 → 1980s → 1982 → June 1982 → 21 June 1982 → Lords Sitting
Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Bill
HL Deb 21 June 1982 vol 431 cc802-13 802
§ Lord Denham
My Lords, I have it in command from Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to acquaint the House that they having been informed of the purport of the Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Bill, have consented to place their prerogative and interest so far as they are concerned on behalf of the Crown, the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall, at the disposal of Parliament for the purposes of the Bill.
§ Bill read a third time, with the amendments.
§ Clause 2 [Provisions supplementary to section 1]:
§ Lord Bruce of Donington moved Amendment No. 1: Page 4, line 32, at end insert (" insofar as it relates to the preparation of the accounts of the transferor or the transferee.").
§ The noble Lord said: My Lords, 1 beg to move the first amendment on the Marshalled List standing in my name and in that of my noble friend. Your Lordships will recall that at the Report stage of the Bill the Government sought to introduce an amendment to what is now Clause 2 of the Bill. That amendment, which appeared at the end of a series of provisions that gave the Secretary of State power to effect certain schemes to provide for the transfer of rights and liabilities and for dealing with other matters in connection therewith, and also for the purpose of borrowing powers, sought to insert the words, notwithstanding any rule of law and the provisions of any enactment. The noble Earl gave a very brief explanation of this, and when I ventured to query the importance of the amendment which he was then seeking to introduce he informed me in personal terms that this was an amendment which he had expected that I as an accountant would understand, but as I evidently had not understood it he proposed to explain it in detail. That was a very nice condescension of him which I am sure was deeply appreciated by the House. In the course of his reply he mentioned the case of Shearer v. Bercain as being relevant to the issue he had in mind, and when I bestowed upon him the accolade of my nodded agreement he declined (somewhat discourteously, I thought) to accept it on the grounds that it was, as he put it, too late.
§ It is not too late to consider the whole question raised by the original amendment that the Govern- 803 ment brought forward giving the Secretary of State powers to do certain things "notwithstanding any rule of law and the provisions of any enactment". It is quite true, of course, that the noble and learned Members of your Lordships' Judicial Committee were not present at the time, obviously, for other reasons, but my noble and learned friend Lord Elwyn-Jones was kind enough to explain the novelty of the proposal to your Lordships. It is rather a remarkable thing that the Secretary of State should have power to do certain things notwithstanding any rule of law or any other enactment.
§ The view was put forward—and put forward, I can assure the noble Earl, in a completely non-contentious spirit in the party sense, but purely as a matter of correct procedure—that if the Government anticipated (and it took them all the way to Report stage to anticipate it) any difficulty in doing what they wanted to do, the correct thing was to earmark either the specific cases which they had in mind or the particular statutes or sections of statutes that they had in mind, and then to make appropriate amendments specifically in the Bill itself. It is not uncommon for some Bills specifically to amend or to add to or subtract from other Acts which have already been passed, some of them many years ago and some quite recently.
§ It rather appeared to some of us—and the noble Earl will have to forgive the validity of dissent on some occasions, notwithstanding that he may get a little impatient of them—that it was quite reasonable to propose this discipline of research into any law which might interfere with the Secretary of State's intentions, and that the result should be set out specifically. Instead of that, the Government chose—and they have chosen to do it not only in this part but also in a later part relating to the subsidiaries and assets of the gas board—to put in this omnibus provision.
§ I hasten to assure the noble Earl that when I politely nodded—in fact, benevolently nodded—my agreement to his reference to Shearer v. Bercain, it was my grateful acknowledgment of the fact that he had even borne that case in mind; no more, no less. In his reply on Report, the noble Earl said: Given that it is possible that certain of the transferred assets may well have a true or market value exceeding their written down value in the books of BNOC at the transfer date, application of this principle could lead to Britoil having a type of reserve—the share premium account does not form part of the distributable reserves—which might not facilitate the sale of its shares to the public."—[Official Report, 8/6/82; col. 1381 The noble Earl, as politically as he is entitled to do, and bearing in mind the judgment in the case of Shearer v. Bercain, explained that that was why he wanted this restriction removed.
§ Of course, it was the case that, where a share transfer took place in those circumstances, a share premium account was created, and under the decision in Shearer v. Bercain, it would not have been possible for the company to have distributed the share premium account, even though the existence of the share premium account was due to previously earned profits. So far, so good. Then returning to the second limb of the amendment, he said, The obvious example here is Section 56 of the Companies Act 1948 which requires that where a company issues shares at a premium, whether for cash or otherwise, a sum equal to the amount 804 or value of the premium is to be transferred to a share premium account. There are substantial restrictions on what may be done with the moneys in a share premium account. In particular, they may not be utilised for the payment of dividends. Quite clearly, the prospect of the new company not being able to distribute profits that have been previously earned by BNOC was repugnant to the noble Earl. Politically, he is entitled to express his repugnance and to take steps to remedy the situation, although others of us may take a slightly more jaundiced view of it, in saying that the noble Earl—or his right honourable friend—is quite determined that his political friends shall get their share of the swag on the dismantling of BNOC and the partial sale of the assets of the gas corporation. But, that is as it may be. The noble Earl made much of Shearer v. Bercain, which enshrined the principles to which he objected, but when the noble Earl came to reply, after having instructed me as to the law, which he had previously withheld because he thought that I knew all about it, he ended up with the statement that, after all, it was purely an accounting matter.
§ If your Lordships will refer to the amendment, it clearly sets out the limitations to which he himself referred. After the offending amendment, which he himself introduced and which states: notwithstanding any rule of law and the provisions of any enactment what we now seek to do is to insert the words, insofar as it relates to the preparation of the accounts of the transferor or the transferee ". That sets it right for the noble Earl. We accept the limitations to which he referred. The noble Earl says that no vital British constitutional question arises here, and nothing that need alarm your Lordships in any way; it is purely a matter of accounts. Very well then, my Lords, let us insert the words in the amendment, insofar as it relates to the preparation of the accounts of the transferor or the transferee ". I shall not hide from your Lordships that, even after the insertion of those words, the whole phrase would still not be acceptable and I am devoutly hopeful that, when the amendments go back to another place, the other place will seriously examine the original amendment to which I have referred. But, for the moment, in order to modify the impact of what I consider to be a completely unreasonable amendment, this amendment is before your Lordships.
§ If what the noble Earl says is true about the impact of his original amendment which I read to your Lordships— notwithstanding any rule of law and the provisions of any enactment "— what is the relevance of Sections 36 to 40 of the Companies Act 1981? It was precisely those sections, which your Lordships will recall went through this House late last year, which were supposed to remedy the situation in Shearer v. Bercain? What the noble Earl is really saying is that Sections 36 to 40 of the Companies Act 1981 do not affect the position. That is not what we were told at the time of the passing of the Companies Act 1981. We were told that the principles of Shearer v. Bercain had been dealt with by Sections 36 to 40.
§ I am going to put a question to the noble Earl and I hasten to put it to him, in all humility, as an accountant 805 to a distinguished lawyer. If the Shearer v. Bercain situation, to which I have referred, is covered by the Companies Act 1981, Sections 36 to 40, why does he have to have this extra provision? If, on the other hand, the situation is not covered by the Companies Act 1981, Sections 36 to 40—and I shall rely on his legal judgment and on that of his advisers for that—why should this company have any particular privileges that are denied to the broad general mass of public and private companies in this country? If it is not covered, what is their position? Why should this series of transactions have that privilege?
§ The position is thoroughly unsatisfactory. As I have said, the noble Earl brought forward this amendment after the Bill had been through the other place, and after it had been through Committee here, because somewhere in the department, among his legal advisers or officials, there emerged a doubt and this omnibus way of sweeping up, without reference to any particular Acts, was chosen.
§ I put it to the noble Earl: is there another case in the lists of the courts at the moment of which the noble Earl has reason to be apprehensive? Is that the reason? If that is not the reason, what is the real reason for the insertion of the original clause, which however limited its effect is alleged to be, is nevertheless a very undesirable precedent to set for future Governments, allowing Ministers powers to act, notwithstanding any rule of law and the provisions of any enactment "?
§ My Lords, I beg to move.
§ Lord Wilberforce
My Lords, at the Report stage some complaint was made—in a very good-tempered way, but still it was made—that at the discussions at that stage the House did not have the benefit of assistance from any of those of us who have some experience in legal matters. The reason was simply this. This amendment came in at a very late stage, only at the Report stage, I am afraid it escaped the notice of myself, and I think my colleagues, and we were not alerted to it. I felt that as a matter of courtesy at any rate one of us should be here today to give what help we can—which will not be very great, I am afraid as to the merits of the amendment proposed by the Government and the new amendment proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Bruce of Donington.
Certainly, when one sees these words which were inserted by the original Government amendment, notwithstanding any rule of law and the provisions of any enactment ", one's hackles tend to rise. I daresay they rise more vigorously on the back of my noble and learned friend Lord Elwyn-Jones on the Opposition Benches than they do at the rather cooler place from which I am speaking. Nevertheless, one does not like the look of those words and one certainly wishes to scrutinise them rather carefully. I have read with some care—and I hope with understanding—the explanation of these words given by the noble Earl, Lord Mansfield, at the Report stage, at columns 137 and 138 of Hansard. Speaking entirely for myself, I find his explanation in relation to the case of Shearer v. Bercain totally satisfactory. He is there explaining that that case 806 lays down that it is the true value of an asset which determines the value of the shares at issue, and he does not wish that that principle should be continued into this Bill.
I personally think that while the explanation is a satisfactory one, it does not really render this amendment necessary because the provisions already in the previous subsection, subsection (4) (a) to (e), of this Bill make it perfectly clear what the statutory value of these assets are to be taken to be. They are not the true value; they are the value ascertained in accordance with those paragraphs. Therefore, I think the situation is quite satisfactory. There is the elaborate Clause 2, and the same goes for the later clause dealing with British Gas, which establishes a special value to be attributed to assets for the purposes of this clause. So far, so good. I must say that I am not so happy about the noble Earl's explanation regarding Section 56 of the Companies Act. That is a section, as your Lordships know, which requires establishment of a share premium account in certain circumstances. His explanation there is contained at the foot of column 138, of Hansard of 8th June. I shall not read it out.
I am left in some doubt regarding Section 56 and what it is that the Government are trying to do. Are they displacing Section 56 altogether and saying that there is to be no share premium account in relation to these assets, or are they saying, "All right, we recognise that Section 56 requires a share premium account but for the purposes of that section we wish the value to be taken into account to be the value given in the scheme"'? I am not at all clear which it is that the noble Earl is desiring in relation to that section. It would certainly benefit and help the discussions here—and certainly my approach to the amendment—if the noble Earl were able to make it clear. Just to recapitulate, is the noble Earl saying that there is not to be a share premium account at all, or is he saying that there is to be a share premium account but it is to he arrived at in relation to the scheme and not in relation to the true value of the assets?
Summing up, I do not personally regard this clause in its context as having any very dire effect. There is always the risk that if it is put in one Bill it will be taken up and put into others. We shall see it popping up in all sorts of contexts which may be much more far-reaching than the present one. I am sure that the noble Earl is now well-briefed to explain what he wishes to effect by these words, and the House will be very interested to hear his explanation.
Regarding the amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Bruce, it would seem, if I may respectfully say so, to be a quite innocuous amendment. It only carries out what the noble Earl explained was the purpose of the clause on moving the amendment. It does not, to my mind, dispose of the doubts which I have already tried to explain in relation to Section 56. It does no harm, but possibly not very much good. I take rather a benevolent but neutral attitude towards it. The purpose of it is of course to probe the Government into explaining more carefully what they are trying to do through the original amendment. I think that that is all the assistance that I am able to give the House on this occasion.
§ Lord Balogh
My Lords, I am not going to go through the Bill sentence by sentence and clause by clause. This has been done in various meetings. What I should like to do is to sketch the probable results of the Bill in a very peculiar background which is not often recognised in this country. The passage of this Bill, in my opinion, ushers us into a new era, an era of violence. Looking back on the story of the impact and influence of the completely unexpected finding of oil and gas to the tune of £200 billion has not improved the outlook. One ought to ask: Why not? How can it be improved? What kind of methods are necessary?
When we look back on the story of the impact and influence of oil and gas a regular pattern can be discerned in the Government's reaction. They made good all their pledges, and the pledges were to roll back the public sector and to increase savings by shifting taxation from direct taxes to indirect ones. The Government had, of course, a very good legal case to do whatever they liked. The Tory Governments in power between 1951 and 1964 passed a law which vested the hydrocarbons in the state and they disliked early amendments.
As this could not be done so soon by legislation—and nobody wanted it, anyhow—what happened was that a licensing system was introduced for the exploitation of oil which was more favourable and which would have the same effect as granting money freely to the corporation. The licences were for longer periods, and the state had practically no right to supervise and ascertain the working of the oil giants which could manipulate transactions in and between their single units and so regulate the distribution of profits as they accrued, making as much as possible shift into colonial areas or ex-colonial areas, of which we have only too many.
The Secretary of State for Trade greeted this arrangement with enthusiasm, as did his predecessors. If the aim of the economic policy exercise was the satisfaction of the multinationals, they might indeed have been delighted. In the end, the British Government gave away some two-thirds of the existing oil and gas reserves, at concessionary prices, without taxation being immediately and in parallel remodelled. The Government had not secured access to the books. This approach was commented on with great sharpness by the Public Accounts Committee.
From a British point of view, the outlook is at least sombre. The unexpected fortune of the oil and gas discoveries was not adequately safeguarded. Indeed, Britain could not be certain that the indirect impact of the hydrocarbon wealth would not, through the steady upward push on sterling, be upset or more than upset.
How was it possible that the British Government did not realise this gravely disturbing potentiality? The explanation of this failure, in my opinion (increasingly shared by the more knowledgeable) lies in the fallacious basic hypothesis on which their analysis and measures depended. Contrary to all evidence, conventional monetaristeconomiststrumpet their success in curbing inflation and in rolling back the public sector. That the public sector was rolled back there can be no doubt. That the end of inflation is in sight is somewhat more doubtful. The vast increase of unemployment is, in their view, the consequence, not 808 indeed of the increasingly restrictive policy due to the over-valuation of the pound but of undue wage demands.
The neo-classical doctrines seem to be weakening in the academics, but under Mrs. Thatcher's enthusiasm, shared by Mr. Reagan, still dominate the larger number of the Government experts in defiance of all experience and reason. The economic Bourbons might, unwittingly, reproduce the catastrophe of 1931–34. Professor Hayek has suddenly re-emerged from nowhere and now, as then, still misunderstands the nature of those distant times as he does the present. Of course, the noble Lord the Minister claims that the restoration of competitive markets will solve our problems, that the signalling system based on "free" prices is the best possible way of ensuring balance in the economy, and from there expansion. At no point, however, was the expansion of the hydrocarbon industry induced by free competition. At first it was a heroic battle of Standard Oil and Shell. Subsequently, they admitted and stimulated five major and half-a-dozen minor corporations.
In no way could their behaviour be brought into any relationship with the picture of perfectly competitive markets. This has important implications for Government in their relations with industry. If the market is not able—as it palpably was not and is not—to produce a balance in the economic system, it would have to be substituted by monitoring and acting on the result. This was the reason why, during the Wilson-Callaghan era, a state company (BNOC) was organised. Without participation in actual production, no one could follow the complications of conscious adjustment which was required. The law which we are discussing, will make such effective supervision and adjustment impossible. The BNOC has been stripped of all the powers it would need for that purpose. What emerges from the ashes of an orderly adjustment is a second BP, a second private oil company, partly-owned by the state —which is not capable of acting as a monitor for, and liaison between, the Government and the industry.
The prospects are aggravated by the growing concentration—and the growing importance of the spot market—cif the retail trade. The inelasticity of demand will again be tested as a result of the recent increase in petrol prices. It was fully demonstrated by the disappointment of the widespread hopes for a collapse of the market price of oil in Rotterdam below the 34 dollars per barrel level; when the "market" weakened last year, the relatively vulnerable countries, especially Nigeria, seem to have demanded further concessions from their trading partners, on the pain of cancelling orders. Actually the success was very meagre. The Saudi Arabians threatened further cuts in their own production and discrimination against weak buyers and exhausted producers. The market is begining to tighten.
The coincidence of these peculiarities on both sides —production and consumption—of the hydrocarbon market would demand strict supervision of the price and production policies of the larger producers. Market forces cannot secure optimal distribution and use. Unfortunately, both economists and civil servants are, if not positively hostile, at least very suspicious of any intervention, let alone management of this most important segment of the economy. Yet, without it, periodic crises will prove unavoidable. Noble Lords opposite, and their friends in another place, 809 might well regret what will prove to be an infatuation with a ridiculous fallacy.
The stripping of the gas corporation of its monopoly powers in purchasing natural gas for fuel purposes shows the shoddiness in the design of policy. The main impact will be an increase in the private sector profits without contributing at all to the equalisation of the market.
Even more intellectually contemptible was the notion that the public sector borrowing (PSBR) is of decisive importance in economic management. This notion reversed the reform of monetary statistics, which we had been able to accomplish. It took us back towards 1922. What ought to be done is obviously the separation in consumption expenditure, investment expenditure, socially-required investment and privately-admitted.
The essential basis of monetary policy ought to be reconsidered and adjusted. These considerations largely determine the choice of the use to which the growing oil surpluses should be put. It is essential to differentiate between the public and the private sectors, not through the mechanical means of the price level but much more by subsidy and extra taxes. The short-term public sector surplus ought to be used to strengthen the reserve position. Under the gold, and gold-exchange standards, this would have been done automatically. Indeed, the mystique surrounding the process prevented, on more than one occasion, the timely devaluation of sterling.
In the last decade, another dangerous mystique has grown up. This condemned any interference with the market by counteracting flows and counter flows by the Central Banks. They fallaciously argued that the purchase (or sale) of foreign currencies caused inflation —or deflation—as the case may be, because it had an impact on the domestic money supply.
The notion that it would tend to stabilise the situation could not be tolerated, as it attacked the very existence of sound monetarist vision. But if intervention in this form was condemned, stabilisation would be elusive.
At this critical juncture, the control of foreign exchange was abolished at a single stroke. The improvement of the current balance of payments was nullified by the tremendous export of capital to purchase both portfolio assets and direct investment. Inasmuch as our supply of managerial talent seems feeble, and much of the capital equipment is admittedly obsolete, the policy of freedom which has been carried through means the continuation of the policy of "too little, too late" followed by crisis, from which we have suffered so much——
§ Lord Willis
My Lords, would the noble Lord allow me to intervene? I am sure he is making a most stimulating speech but 1 cannot hear a word.
My Lords, I am opposite a microphone. You must complain to—
My Lords, the noble Lord is not near enough to it.
The Bill before your Lordships' House is another step downwards which will cause endless difficulties—is that better?
A noble Lord
Much better.
The shrinkage of our industrial industries will continue and our international competitive power will remain enfeebled.
§ The Minister of State, Scottish Office (The Earl of Mansfield)
My Lords, I do appreciate that when we debated on Report paragraph (b) of what is now subsection (6) of Clause 2, the words, notwithstanding any rule of law and the provision of any enactment ", gave rise to a certain amount of comment. May I start, however, on what is possibly a personal note. I am distressed that the noble Lord, Lord Bruce of Donington, should think that I did not give appropriate weight to the comments he made and the way he developed his arguments. The difficulty is always that one is in some sort of dilemma because one has to reply on behalf of the Government and therefore one has to explain and justify. But there is the other side of the coin, that one does not wish to regale the House with a lot of details which it might not want to hear, and particularly when one is talking to people such as the noble Lord, Lord Bruce, who are experts in their own field. If in that case my judgment was wrong, then of course I apologise to him, because he and I both know that is not the way in which this House conducts its business.
I was also asked by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Elwyn-Jones, whose interventions I always take seriously, as indeed I did on this occasion, whether I would refer this particular passage to the draftsmen to see whether or not the effect it gives could be achieved by specific provisions in the various paragraphs of subsections (3) and (4) of Clause 2. 1 have done this and, in the face of what the noble and learned Lord, Lord Wilberforce, says, I have to inform the House, on advice from the draftsmen, that such amendments as the noble and learned Lord suggested on Report would not be possible. That is their judgment of this particular problem. Further, those who have considered this aspect advise me that they could not say with certainty that specific wording in various paragraphs would be sufficient to achieve the desired objective without being underpinned by some general words. It is, therefore, the view of the Government that we should continue with the general words which we have, which cover the ground where specific problems have been identified and which also, on the best view that can be formed, cover other areas where problems have not been identified but where they might still appear.
I should stress again to the House that although the words of paragraph (13) of Clause 2(6) appear wide, their effect would in fact be specific because those words will have effect only when allied to provisions appearing in the scheme by virtue of one or other of the paragraphs in subsections (3) and (4). I would also remind the House that the transfer of an undertaking by means of such a scheme as is envisaged in this Bill is something completely outside the normal run of company practice. Not surprisingly, specific problems have been identified and have led to Clause 2 being in the form it now is. In turn, because of the novelty of the exercise, and because problems have already been identified, Clause 2 811 has been further cast in a form which will enable problems which might arise to be resolved, as it enables the resolution of the problems already identified.
The noble Lord, Lord Bruce of Donington, asked whether Sections 36 to 41 of the Companies Act did not cover the Shearer v. Bercain point. These sections were drafted to cover certain specific situations in company practice. What is now being considered is well outside the usual run of commercial transactions. The company Britoil is being set up out of a state corporation by means of a scheme in preparation for a flotation. Sections 37 and 38 describe circumstances which are not on all-fours with those which the Government now face. Section 37 deals with certain arrangements concerning a company and its holding company, and of course BNOC is not a company, so we are not within that circumstance. Section 38 deals with allocation of shares by a company to its holding company—again, not the position which faces the Government. Section 39 deals with one company allocating shares in exchange for shares in another company. In short, the 1981 Act does not fully cover the circumstances facing the Government, which the provisions of the Bill do.
Then the noble Lord asked whether there might be a case before the courts to which the attention of the draftsmen might have been directed when they were drafting this particular provision. The answer is that there was no such case in mind although, if the noble Lord knew of one, I daresay the Government would be extremely grateful to be told about it.
I was grateful to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Wilberforce, for his intervention and I was relieved, I think I might say, to some extent. He asked whether or not the new provision in Clause 2 anticipated the creation of a share premium account as defined in Section 56 of the Companies Act. The answer is, yes; the scheme-making powers would enable a share premium account to be established in Britoil's opening balance sheet. The account would be the difference between the value of the shares issued in consideration and the net value of the assets transferred. Whether or not there is to be such an account has yet to be determined, but the power is there. I cited various examples on Report, and I will not repeat them now. There are, I suggest, respectable precedents for the effect of what is proposed in the Bill in this respect, and particularly Section 4 of the British Aerospace Act 1980 springs to mind.
In view of what the noble and learned Lord said, I think I should say why it is that the Government regard the noble Lord's amendment as unacceptable in the context of Clauses 2 and 10. The amendment assumes that the provisions in subsections (3) and (4) of these clauses relate solely to the preparation of accounts. While their main purpose is to provide for continuity of accounts between the transferor and the transferee, it is not their only purpose. These provisions look to actions which are to be taken as well as to the way those actions are to be reflected in the accounts.
For example, paragraph (c) of subsection (4) provides for the creation of a reserve which will be available for distribution to shareholders. The distribution to shareholders from this reserve is not a matter relating 812 to the preparation of accounts, although the accounts would record the transaction. It is an action which would fall outside the qualification which the amendment seeks to introduce. This reinforces the difficulties which I have already described in attempting to include specific wording in the various paragraphs and the reason why we have adopted the formulation in paragraph (b) of subsection (6).
I appreciate immediately—and did so as soon as I saw the drafting of the amendment—that this kind of wording can give rise to misapprehension. I hope, however, that those misapprehensions will now have been dispelled and that the purpose and effect of par-graph (b) have been explained. Therefore. I very much hope that the noble Lord, Lord Bruce of Donington, will see fit to withdraw his amendment.
Lord Bruce of Donington
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Earl for having given his explanation, which was largely in technical terms. However, he still has not particularised the problems which his original phrase was designed to cover. I am most grateful to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Wilberforce, for his very objective examination of the problem that the original phrase raised. He was unable to go the whole way with me, but one sentence of his impressed me. It was a point which, in less felicitous terms, I myself had made at Report: that clauses such as this may always be quoted as a precedent. The amendment which I have ventured to lay before your Lordships severely circumvents the operation of this clause to the extent that it is not already covered by the Companies Act. It is a matter which should be circumvented and I propose to press the matter to a Division.
§ On Question, Whether the said amendment (No.1) shall be agreed to?
§ Their Lordships divided: Contents, 67; Not-Contents, 89.
DIVISION NO. 1
Airedale, L. Elystan-Morgan, L.
Amherst, E. Ewart-Biggs, B.
Amulree, L. Fisher of Rednal, B.
Ardwick, L. George-Brown, L.
Aylestone, L. Gladwyn, L.
Bacon, B. Gosford, E.
Balogh, L. Hampton, L.
Banks, L. Hatch of Lusby, L.
Beaumont of Whitley, L. Houghton of Sowerby, L.
Beswick, L. Howie of Troon, L.
Birk, B. Irving of Dartford, L.
Bishopston, L. Jacques, L.
Blyton, L. Jenkins of Putney, L.
Boston of Faversham, L. John-Mackie, L.
Briginshaw, L. Kilmarnock, L.
Brockway, L. Kirkhill, L.
Brooks of Tremorfa, L. Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe, B.
Bruce of Donington, L.
Byers, L. Lovell-Davis, L.
Caradon, L. MacLeod of Fuinary, L.
Cledwyn of Penrhos, L. Mayhew, L.
Collison, L. Mishcon, L.
Cooper of Stockton Health, L. Northfield, L.
Denington, B. Oram, L.
Elwyn-Jones, L. Peart, L.
Phillips, B. Strabolgi, L.
Plant, L. Tanlaw, L.
Ponsonby of Shulbrede, L. [Teller.] Taylor of Mansfield, L
Underhill, L.
Rhodes, L. Wallace of Coslany, L.. [Teller]
Sainsbury, L.
Shinwell, L. Wells-Pestell, L.
Stewart of Alvechurch, B. White, B.
Stewart of Fulham, L. Wootton of Abinger, B.
Stone, L. Young of Dartington, L.
NOT-CONTENTS
Adeane, L. Lauderdale, E.
Airey of Abingdon, B. Long, V.
Alexander of Tunis, E. Lovat, L.
Avon, E. Lucas of Chilworth, L.
Balfour of Inchrye, L. Lyell, L.
Belhaven and Stenton, L. Mackay of Clashfern, L.
Beloff, L. Macleod of Borve, B.
Belstead, L. Mancroft, L.
Bessborough, E. Mansfield, E.
Campbell of Croy, L. Marley, L.
Chelwood, L. Merrivale, L.
Clitheroe, L. Milverton, L.
Clwyd, L. Morris, L.
Cockfield, L. Mottistone, L.
Colyton, L. Mowbray and Stourton, L.
Cork and Orrery, E. Newall, L.
Cottesloe, L. Nugent of Guilford, L.
Craigavon, V. Onslow, E.
Cullen of Ashbourne, L. Pender, L.
Daventry, V. Porritt, L.
Davidson, V. Reay, L.
Denham, L. [Teller] Renton, L.
Dilhorne, V. Richardson, L.
Drumalbyn, L. Romney, E.
Ebbisham, L. St. Davids, V.
Eccles, V. St. John of Bletso, L.
Effingham, E. Sandford, L.
Ellenborough, L. Sandys, L. [Teller]
Fraser of Kilmorack, L. Savile, L.
Gainford, L. Sempill, Ly.
Glenarthur, L. Sharples, B.
Glenkinglas, L. Skelmersdale, L.
Gormanston, V. Soames, L.
Hailsham of Saint Marylebone, L. Spens, L.
Stamp, L.
Harmar-Nicholls, L. Thomas of Swynnerton, L.
Harvey of Prestbury, L. Thorneycroft, L.
Hatherton, L. Trefgarne, L.
Home of the Hirsel, L. Trumpington, B.
Hornsby-Smith, B. Vaux of Harrowden, L.
Hylton-Foster, B. Vivian, L.
Ilchester, E. Wakefield of Kendal, L.
Killearn, L. Ward of Witley, V.
Kinnaird, L. Wynford, L.
Lane-Fox, B. Young, B.
§ Resolved in the negative, and amendment disagreed to accordingly.
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text:
Meet the New Jersey Democratic power broker who praised Trump's "genius," attacked immigration
George Norcross III, an unelected New Jersey Democratic boss, represents many of his party's fundamental flaws
Published July 20, 2019 7:00AM (EDT)
FILE - In this March 5, 2014 file photo, George Norcross, addresses a gathering at a groundbreaking ceremony in Camden, N.J., for a new kind of school that Norcross' family foundation will help fund. Camden, one of the country's most impoverished cities, will get some time in the Democratic convention spotlight Thursday, July 28, 2016, with some help from Lady Gaga. Norcross and the Senate Majority PAC are hosting the invite-only "Camden Rising" event Thursday afternoon with invites going out to all of the convention's delegates, hours before Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File) (AP)
This article originally appeared at Insider NJ. Used by permission.
You can tell a lot about the feudal nature of New Jersey power politics by the media stir made over a two-year video of George Norcross III, South Jersey's unelected Democratic boss. musing about a wide range of topics — from the likelihood that there was a conspiracy behind JFK's assassination to the "genius" of Donald Trump.
The video was resurfaced by the Intercept, which made much of Norcross' observations that Democrats had made themselves vulnerable to Trump because they were too soft on immigration and as a consequence lost ground with a certain slice of working-class voters. But there was so much more to it.
Norcross sits atop a sprawling nexus of insurance, health care and philanthropic enterprises in New Jersey, and is one of those wealthy Democratic National Committee members who, despite some progressive rule changes post 2016, will have an oversized role in picking his party's presidential nominee next year.
He has taken a leading role in the revitalization for all things in the struggling city of Camden, including reforming public education and public safety. While his civic engagement has burnished a national reputation as a philanthropist, WNYC and ProPublica have reported that of the $1.6 billion in controversial New Jersey Economic Development grants given out to Camden, Norcross and businesses connected with his family were beneficiaries of $1.1 billion of that state stimulus.
His boss-like hold on political power ties back to his family, his material means, decades of philanthropy, and a track record for making investments in Camden that have produced results in terms of improved school performance and crime reduction.
Norcross also has considerable control over who gets to run for what. His political partnership with former Republican Gov. Chris Christie and elements of the Essex County Democratic machine kept non-machine Democrats on the outside looking in for years.
Since Norcross beyond the reach of voters, he does not have to submit himself with any regularity to interviews with reporters. meaning he can control the settings in which he pontificates — because he owns the room and the people in it.
Such was the case with the sit-down he granted the Camden Chamber of Commerce in 2017, where he was "interviewed" as part of the organization's "Game Changer Series" by Dr. Michael Williams, dean of the School of Business and Management at Thomas Edison State University.
It was one of those obsequious encounters where the questioner has put careful thought into how best to use the format as an homage in flattery to the guest. In banana republics this format is offered up as journalism because the dictator-leader is taking questions like "When did you know that you were so extraordinary?"
That's not to say that I did not learn a lot from the hour–long exchange.
I discovered that, like myself, Norcross was not a college graduate. He described how from a very early age he accompanied his father, George E. Norcross, president of the AFL-CIO Central Labor Union of Camden and Gloucester Counties, to political meetings.
A graduate of Pennsauken High School, Norcross schooled himself in the ways of the world, he said, by watching brilliant lawyers in their trial practice. As an avid student of history, he has a near-encyclopedic knowledge of what's contained in most of the nation's presidential libraries and has a penchant for going to the places where history was made, like the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, where he took his children to see Lee Harvey Oswald's view from the sixth floor of that infamous warehouse. "Now, I also think there were others involved in that," offered Norcross.
As a working journalist, I would have followed up on this observation, but it might have taken the interview off the pre-programmed agenda.
Norcross told Williams that he valued loyalty more than any other human attribution and prided himself "on being street smart," which manifested in his contrarian views on the state of New Jersey's plans to build a multimillion-dollar aquarium as part of a bid to revitalize the Camden waterfront.
"Some of you would be aware that I have not been a supporter of the aquarium," he said. "An aquarium is a wonderful thing to have. I call it a $150 million fish tank that was built by some politicians in north Jersey, who thought somehow it was going to revolutionize the city of Camden."
He continued: "When I looked at it, I said, one block away you can get murdered by drugs or by sex all on the same block except we have a fish tank sitting there. That money should have been spent of revitalizing neighborhoods, creating better public safety, better public education. I am not the smartest guy in the world, but you have got to deal with fundamentals."
Norcross offered the audience a succinct behind-the-scenes view of how he and other southern New Jersey boosters are able to punch above their weight in terms of statewide and even national political influence. "We have managed in the last 15 years to consolidate our elected leadership to act as one," Norcross told the 2017 Camden crowd. "And it is simple math. We are just 28 percent of the state. In order for us to get our fair share we have to be unified and the rest of the state has to be divided."
It was in this same iconoclastic, populist tone that Norcross expressed a weird admiration for Donald Trump who, he said, "borders on genius and insanity." He credited Trump with being more in touch with the American zeitgeist than Hillary Clinton was because during the last three weeks of the 2016 campaign Trump "focused on what people were thinking and what was on their minds, and Hillary Clinton did not. He focused about things people were angry about. He talked about how they could be improved, about how they could be changed."
To Norcross, as "a conservative Democrat," immigration appeared to be the main irritant for that core working-class constituency Trump zeroed in on in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, which had voted for Barack Obama twice but in 2016 flipped to Trump.
Norcross said he had asked both former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi why the Democratic Party supported "criminals that are here illegally."
He continued, "I think a path to citizenship is the right thing. But if you are a criminal you don't belong here, and the American public doesn't want it. Why do we as a party support that? I don't understand it, and that's why the Democratic Party has not been attractive to certain elements of the working class of our country."
Once again, the lack of journalistic inquiry presented itself as the moderator of the event did not press Norcross to substantiate his claim that Democrats were expressly supporting the retention of immigrants who are criminals, asTrump has long charged. That just hung in the air as an ex-cathedra pronouncement that has now come back to haunt Norcross.
Nor was it mentioned that Obama had deported more than 5 million undocumented people and was actually nicknamed "the deporter in chief" by immigration rights activists for his program targeting those with criminal histories for removal.
Conflating undocumented immigrants with criminals has been a key part of Trump's daily attacks on the immigrant population, his principal method of consolidating his base.
There's a significant body of academic evidence that, contrary to right-wing propaganda, undocumented immigrants have a lower propensity for criminal behavior than the general population. There is of course the example of New York City, where the influx of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, many of them undocumented, stabilized crime-ridden neighborhoods and drove rates of violent crime in the city to the lowest level in several generations.
In the two years since Norcross' musings, Trump has made the southern border with Mexico and his multi-billion-dollar wall such a fixation that he was willing to shut down the federal government for more than a month, depriving hundreds of thousands of federal employees their paychecks.
Since 2017, conditions for immigrants seeking asylum have greatly deteriorated and a recent Homeland Security inspector general report found at both California and New Jersey holding facilities there were "immediate risks or egregious violations of detention standards," as well as "nooses in detainee cells" and "inadequate medical care."
In January, a Department of Health and Human Services inspector general report disclosed that the Trump administration had not accurately "represent the full scope of [child] family separations" and that "thousands of children may have been separated during an influx that began in 2017, before the accounting required by the court. In addition, as of early November 2018, HHS has received at least 118 separated children since the court order."
In response to the recent reporting on his 2017 comments in the Intercept, a Norcross aide tried to do damage control by adding context to the embarrassing remarks.
"George has always supported legal immigration, explicitly called for a path to citizenship for any undocumented immigrants here now and disagrees with the actions taken in the last few years to limit it without seeming justification or process," wrote a Norcross aide in an email to the Intercept. "The United States, like every developed country in the world, has immigration laws that allows for the legal entry of people who wish to come here, including — and especially — people who are seeking amnesty or asylum. Those laws should be respected by those who want to come here and must be respected by the government itself."
Such are the perils of getting only softball questions when we have a xenophobic racist in the White House.
Bob Hennelly has written and reported for the Village Voice, Pacifica Radio, WNYC, CBS MoneyWatch and other outlets. His book, "Stuck Nation: Can the United States Change Course on Our History of Choosing Profits Over People?" was published in 2021 by Democracy@Work. He is now a reporter for the Chief-Leader, covering public unions and the civil service in New York City. Follow him on Twitter: @stucknation
MORE FROM Bob Hennelly
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All posts tagged "Darya Ekamasova"
Maybe the ultimate project of The Americans is to recognize its characters' collective disillusionment.
Another week, another episode of The Americans that's notable for its pervasive lack of hurry.
The producers of The Americans are more than aware that they're playing a very, very long game with their audience.


I am trying to increase the PCI aperture in my vista guest using the direct approach outlined by David above, i.e. modifying dsdt.asl and recompiling.
which is initialised by hvmloader. "
By modifying that constant to 0xc0000000, I do see devices enumerated in vista starting at 0xc0000000, but the acpi pci bus device in vista still reports an aperture starting at 0xf0000000, which I believe is fetched from dsdt tables.?
> > currently uses to assign addresses (it can waste a lot of space).
> more exciting anyway, to fully support the dynamic PCI hole.


text:
Self-diagnostic testing
SBH Laboratory manufactures innovative products under distributor brands for large European pharmaceutical companies and healthcare groups.
As a specialist in self-diagnostic testing equipment, SBH Laboratory will present its full product range, which includes pregnancy tests, thermometers and blood-pressure monitors, at the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) trade show in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) from 28 to 29 May 2013.
Specialising in fast diagnostic testing, SBH Laboratory manufactures innovative products under distributor brands for large European groups in the pharmacy sector, in parapharmacy, and in healthcare. The company will present its full range of products on Stand 1614 at the PLMA trade show, which is organised by the Private Label Manufacturers Association, in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), from 28 to 29 May of this year. The SBH Laboratory range includes pregnancy tests, urinary-infection tests, thermometers, blood-pressure monitors, oral-hygiene products, and reading glasses.
SBH Laboratory designs self-diagnostic tests and home-use devices for treating every member of the family. Each product is designed according to a precise set of specifications and is supplied on a turnkey basis. From the creation of a range to the finalisation of the packaging, SBH Laboratory interacts with the client at every stage of the manufacturing process in order to ensure products correspond to the specific requirements of a brand or location.
SBH Laboratory's expertise enables the company to produce highly innovative products such as multipurpose non-contact infra-red thermometers and large-screen, automatic, upper-arm blood-pressure monitors.
Easy to use and reliable, SBH Laboratory's pregnancy tests are designed for women who need a fast, yet accurate, result. Indeed, the test produces a reliable result in three minutes.
The company also has a comprehensive range of products dedicated to oral-hygiene care. This range includes more than 20 products, from daily-care treatments for the maintenance of natural whiteness to more specialised products for intensive cleaning.
Finally, private-label reading glasses are no longer an age-related accessory, but are now an important fashion item for every generation. From simple and discrete spectacles to colourful and fancy glasses, SBH Laboratory offers a broad variety of appealing styles.
Potential biomarker for depression and treatment response identified
Atrophic changes seen with MRI at autopsy could be marker for chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Deep learning breast MRI distinguishes between benign and malignant cases in women with dense breasts
Sponsored: Redefining the oncology blood tests workflow: Lab-grade testing at the point of care


text:
using GitLabSharp.Client.Services;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;

namespace GitLabSharp.Client
{
    public class GitLabSharpClient
    {
        #region Champs
        private readonly string _urlPrefix;
        private readonly string _token;
        private ProjectService _projectService;
        #endregion

        #region Constructeurs
        public GitLabSharpClient(string urlPrefix, string token)
        {
            _urlPrefix = urlPrefix;
            _token = token;
        }
        #endregion

        #region Propriétés
        public ProjectService ProjectService
        {
            get
            {
                return _projectService ?? (_projectService = new ProjectService(_urlPrefix, _token));
            }
        }
        #endregion

        #region Méthodes
        #endregion
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
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filterToday News
Mikhail Ulyanov
Russia to US: Iran itself victim of chemical weapons
Moscow, Jan 11, IRNA – Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said in a twitter message in response to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday that the US claim is "something new" and that Iran itself was a victim of Saddam's chemical weapons.
Russian envoy says JCPOA demonstrated its sustainability
Moscow, Dec 5, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a message stressed the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has demonstrated its sustainability.
Russian envoy slams leakage of IAEA report on Iran
London, Dec 4, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a Twitter message criticized the IAEA over leakage of confidential report on Iran.
Russia says satisfied with Iran cooperation with IAEA
Moscow, Nov 19, IRNA – Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said that Iran provides high-level cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) despite the coronavirus epidemic.
Russian envoy: US attempts to extend Iran's arms embargo, futile
Moscow, Oct 10, IRNA – Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Saturday that all the attempts made by the US to extend arms embargo on Iran have failed and will be fruitless in the future as well.
Russian envoy: IAEA BoG meeting on Iran proves US isolation
Moscow, Sept 16, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a message said the IAEA Board of Governors' meeting on Iran once again proved that the US is isolated in the international scene.
Russia: JCPOA participants term US attempts for snapback invocation "null and void"
Tehran, Sept 2, IRNA – Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said in a Twitter post that the remaining participants of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) emphasized that the US is no longer a participant, which means Washington's attempts to activate the snapback mechanism is null and void.
Russian diplomat highlights JCPOA parties' compliance
Tehran, Sept 1, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said Tuesday JCPOA joint commission meeting indicated that participants are committed to the deal.
Russia wisecracks US just before JCPOA Joint Commission meeting
London, Sept 1, IRNA – Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a sarcastic Twitter post on Tuesday reacted to the latest US claim about its contributions to the Iranian nuclear deal while trying to force the UNSC to return sanctions on Iran.
Russian diplomat slams US attempts to restore anti-Iran sanctions
Moscow, Aug 28, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a message condemned US attempts to restore sanctions against Iran, saying US act will bring about unprecedented conflict in the Security Council.
IAEA chief may visit Iran next week: Russia
Moscow, Aug 22, IRNA – Permanent Representative of Russia to Vienna-based international organizations wrote in a tweet that the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency "may visit" Iran next week.
Russian diplomat: Expiry of Iran arms embargo enshrined by UNSCR 2231
Moscow, Aug 18, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said in a message that expiry of Iran arms embargo was enshrined by the UN Security Council resolution 2231.
Russian official terms US attempt to revise UNSCR 2231 as unjustifiable
Moscow, Aug 14, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a message described the US attempts to revise provision of UNSC resolution 2231 as unjustifiable.
Russia opposes US' use of Snapback against Iran
Moscow, Aug 12, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a message criticized the US attempts to use Snapback mechanism against Iran.
Russian envoy terms Iran's atomic opportunities as legitimate
Moscow, Aug 3, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a message said the atomic opportunities given to Iran by NPT are absolutely legitimate.
Russia calls for JCPOA parties' unity to save the deal
Moscow, July 16, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a message said Iran nuclear deal will be preserved if all participants are united in this regard.
Russian envoy terms US arms embargo against Iran as questionable
Moscow, July 13, IRNA - Russian diplomat said in a Twitter message on Monday that the US boasts of enormous arms supplies to the region, so that the US stance to extend arms embargo on Iran is questionable.
Russia opposes triggering 'Dispute Resolution Mechanism'
Moscow, July 6, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a message said triggering 'Dispute Resolution Mechanism' with regard to Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Russia says dispute mechanism for JCPOA lacks "clear procedure"
Tehran, July 4, IRNA - Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on Saturday that dispute resolution mechanism to solve issues related to the July 2015 nuclear deal "lacks clear and agreed procedure."
Russia rejects any evidence over Iran undeclared nuclear activities
Tehran, June 20, IRNA - Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a statement rejected any evidence regarding Iran's undeclared nuclear activities in two sites cited by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Russian envoy: IAEA BoG to hold online meeting next week
Moscow, June 11, IRNA - Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said the IAEA board of governors will hold a virtual meeting next week.
Envoy: JCPOA opponents aim to undermine Tehran-IAEA ties
Moscow, May 25, IRNA - Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a message said Iran nuclear deal is aimed at restoring confidence, adding that its opponents' objective is to undermine relations between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Russian envoy terms JCPOA opponents as helpless, ignorant
Moscow, May 16, IRNA - Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna in a message described opponents of Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as helpless and ignorant.
Russia proposes arms delivery to Iran on consent of UNSC
Moscow, May 12, IRNA – Russian envoy in a message on Tuesday said that delivery of tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery systems, aircraft, helicopters, ships and missiles to Iran has not been prohibited but should be done with the consent of the UN Security Council.
Russian senior diplomat describes JCPOA as masterpiece of diplomacy
Moscow, May 11, IRNA - Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna described the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a masterpiece of diplomacy.
Russia: US attempt to extend arms embargo on Iran will go nowhere
Moscow, May 3, IRNA - Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna believes that the US attempt to extend arms embargo on Iran in contravention of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action stipulation on expiry of the arms embargo from October 2020 will go nowhere.
JCPOA members remain committed to the deal: Russian official
London, Feb 26, IRNA – The Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Wednesday that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is regarded as an important part of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Russian envoy: No need for new deal with Iran
Tehran, Jan 29, IRNA - Russia's Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna and the International Atomic Energy Agency Mikhail Ulyanov called for implementing Iran nuclear deal and rejected any need for a new deal.
Russia warns the EU troika not to take action against JCPOA
Moscow, Jan 18, IRNA – Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna said on Saturday that Moscow has warned the EU troika -- France, Germany and UK over consequences of launching a dispute settlement mechanism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.


Small Lady, 09 Nov 2008is it me or i cant put personalized ringtones for specific people?? i just got my phone yester... moreIf you own other Moto phones, you probably know the 2 ways to set personalized ringtone for most Moto phones.
2)Go to the phone book and set ringtone for each individual contact.
sonia, 08 Nov 2008Sir, i got the set just 2 days back it hangd out twice in two days to whom i should contactIf only for 2 days, suggest you return the set to the shop where you bought it.
In the city where I live, most phone manufacturers, including Moto, would exchange a "new" handset within 7 days of purchase.
is it me or i cant put personalized ringtones for specific people?? i just got my phone yesterday and omg i wanted that specification since previously, my moto phones all had that feature.
my brother bought this for his girl. but i dont like its camera. my 3120c is much better.
cheers 2 motorola 4 bringing out such a beautifully crafted phone, with gr8 features n finally such a reasonable price!!! i wuz always a die hard fan of nokia n SE but moto rocks!!firstly.. it is one of the most stylish phones available in the market at this price range.. its has decent camera quality(2MP) n although its music is not as loud as nokia on loudspeaker.. but very gud in earphones.. decent battery lyf too(2 days).. n much more more improved than other moto handsets..the fact that it differentiates itself 4rm other phones in this segment is the stylish looks!!! and those LED indicators on the top.. damn gorgeous.. i got it for 5900 in chennai n wud advise evryone 2 go 4 it.. worth its price...!!!
Anonymous, 05 Nov 2008hello punit i m also a moto ZN200 user n there is occuring too problems in this set frm the ... moreReally depends where you live...and the Moto support in your country.
In where I live (Hong Kong), all phones can be exchanged with a "brand new" unit within 7 days of purchase.
Afterwards, user enjoys 1 year warranty, in which practically, for (seems quite serious) problems like you mentioned, chances are they will not "fix and repair" your phone. Rather they would simply change the mother-board.
So other than the external housing, you'd get a "new" phone (with zero mins on the call timer).
i m also a moto ZN200 user n there is occuring too problems in this set frm the date of purchase.Now i want 2 change my phone to other frm moto center . Will they change ?
this phone is very nice phone,good camera,sound quality.it's to good but battery backup is very poor.
this phone is very stylish phone and looking is very nice and also market price is cheep . due to my think you can trust on this phone and buy also.
I feel that camera clarity is very less and there is no zooming option.


Our editing style is a classic look with a touch of vintage and a natural appearance.
We're able to edit in a "light and airy" style or "rich and moody" depending on which our clients prefer.
Basic editing is applied to our photographic products. This includes corrections for color and exposure as well as our own artistic processing style.
Minor retouches in a wedding or portrait gallery set can be done on a few select favorite images, by special request. Body sculpting and object removal is not available. Clients may opt to seek outside retouching services after obtaining permission from JMP.


text:
Hossein Sheikholeslam, né le  à Isfahan et décédé le  à Téhéran, est un homme politique iranien.

Biographie
Né à Isfahan, Sheikholeslam milite dans les milieux conservateurs dans sa jeunesse. Il fait partie des étudiants ayant fait prisonnier plusieurs diplomates américains lors de la crise des otages américains en Iran.

Plus tard, il est fait ambassadeur iranien en Syrie. Sa carrière politique se poursuit avec un mandat de député au parlement iranien. Par la suite, il devient conseiller de Mohammad Djavad Zarif. Il meurt du Covid-19 en mars 2020.

Références

Voir aussi
Pandémie de maladie à coronavirus de 2020 en Iran

Naissance en novembre 1952
Naissance à Ispahan
Décès à 67 ans
Décès en mars 2020
Décès à Téhéran
Ambassadeur iranien
Mort de la maladie à coronavirus 2019 en Iran
Étudiant de l'université de Californie à Berkeley
Député iranien


Американец съездил на Украину и написал в Твиттере, что ужаснулся переписыванию истории Холокоста, засилью фашистов и пассивности украинцев. Украинские наследники стукачей немедленно нажаловались в Твиттер, требуя забанить его за язык "ненависти".
I just got back from Ukraine and I have to say what I saw was frightening: widespread gov-funded Holocaust revisionism and denial, total impunity for neo-nazi violence against civil society, and an almost complete retreat from political life by Ukrainians.
*I want you to especially note that the 'Ukrainian' account above has usurped the names 'Ruthenia' and 'Rus', which we discussed in the Forbidden History Webinars, and in ESR2 and ESR6.
These are the core Vedic Rus identity markers, and by usurping them from a lower consciousness perspective the forces that have taken over Ukraine are attempting to turn them dark and evil. We had also discussed in said webinars how German Nazis usurped the important ancient Vedic symbols, also turning them evil (such as: the main symbol and salutation used by German Nazis – you know what those are, I won't repeat them here). The contemporary heirs of said Nazis in Ukraine, whom, as you know I call 'ukro-nazis,' are using the same symbols and salutations.
**I also want you to note that the 'snitch' above is in no way reflective of the majority of normal Ukrainians. The people in the southern, eastern, and even central Ukraine are very different and there is only a small minority of those who are ukro-nazis. Western Ukraine is a completely different story and ukro-nazi ideology is very widepsread there, aided and abetted by the US and Canada.
Per latest poll, the number of Ukrainians who like Russia and Russians is growing in Ukraine, despite all the attempts by the Kiev junta and their Transatlantic sponsors to instill hatred between two parts of the same Rus people!
Posted on October 11, 2018, in 2) Great Balancer Weekly, 3) Focus Novorossia & Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine and tagged fascism in Ukraine, forbidden history, Kiev junta, twitter, ukro-nazis, Vedic Rus. Bookmark the permalink.	2 Comments.


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text:
Q: Bit mask in Bash Is something like the following code possible within a shell script?
var1=0xA (0b1010)
if ( (var1 & 0x3) == 0x2 ){
    ...perform action...
}

Just to make my intentions 100% clear my desired action would be to check bits of var1 at 0x3 (0b0011) and make sure that it equals 0x2 (0b0010)
 0b1010
&0b0011
_______
 0b0010 == 0x2 (0b0010)

A: Bit manipulation is supported in POSIX arithmetic expressions:
if [ $(( var1 & 0x3 )) -eq $(( 0x2 )) ]; then

However, it's a bit simpler use an arithmetic statement in bash:
if (( (var1 & 0x3) == 0x2 )); then

A: Yes, this is entirely possible:
#!/bin/bash

var1=0xA # (0b1010)
if (( (var1 & 0x3) == 0x2 ))
then
  echo "Match"
fi

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Myanmar's growing online freedoms
November 7, 2013 Global Insights, Internet Freedom
Long plagued by one of the most repressive Internet censorship policies in the entire world, citizens of Myanmar are finding that they have access to a growing amount of content.
It is no surprise that some of the more repressive governments in the world also provide very limited internet access for their citizens. This is because cyberspace can give users access to all kinds of information, some of which could portray these ruling powers in an unflattering light.
Despite what this content may say, it is an important right of citizens around the world to have access to it. This information can help people in repressive situations find a way to liberate themselves. Further, it can connect individuals that may not otherwise be able to.
However, many ruling powers are concerned about the ways it can be used to undermine their authority. Fortunately, some governments are acknowledging the rights of their citizens more so, as people become more vocal about these fundamental rights.
Myanmar's restricting control
Forbes Magazine reported that the government in Myanmar has been lifting some of the restrictions within the country when it comes to Internet access. The nation has a violent past when it comes to revolution and dissent, even before the Internet was as pervasive as it is today. Since the Internet entered the country, the government has been known to imprison many of the country's most outspoken cyber-critics, however, the news source noted that the recent Freedom House report on Internet freedom has shown that strong progress is being made within the country.
Two years ago, Myanmar's Internet policy was the second worst only to Iran, likening it to some of the globe's most cited oppressors, such as China. Along with poor access to content, anything that did not support the state, like most foreign media, was likely restricted.
Those who bypassed these restrictions or spoke out against the government were often subject to long prison sentences and torture. However, there is evidence that is changing.
Making improvements
According to the Index on Censorship, many restrictions within the country have been lifted. This includes the bans on Skype calls along with access growing more affordable. This means that more individuals are using technology such as cell phones with greater frequency. The source noted that the cost of a SIM card has fallen from around $4000 in the early 2000s to below $10 today.
Forbes also noted that the state has deregulated the telecommunications industry. This has enabled two foreign companies to enter the country and start work toward modernizing the country's communication network. This would allow for more citizens to gain access to the internet and cell phones.
Such measures are similar to those of another government that has said it will start pushing for a more free and open Internet – Iran. Al Jazeera America reported that government officials have been joining social media outlets and saying that government should lift the ban on social media. This comes on the heels of the election of the relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani.
A far ways to go
Despite these improvements on a number of fronts, Forbes pointed out that the Internet in Myanmar is still rated as "not free." Many people still do not have access and much of the progress that has been made is simply because there was no where else to move but up.
There is still a high amount of surveillance on those who speak out against the Internet and laws that issue strict punishments to these kinds of dissidents are still in place, making true free speech difficult. Still, there is some room for optimism in the country and the state of cyberspace.


text:
Ammonia Gas Leak At IFFCO Fertiliser Plant In Uttar Pradesh Leaves 2 Dead, 16 Injured
Two IFFCO officials died and its 16 other employees were injured in a major ammonia gas leak at the fertiliser major's plant at Phulpur near Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, the firm said on Wednesday.
The gas leakage that took place on Tuesday night around 10:30 p.m., however, was restricted and stopped in a short time, the fertiliser cooperative major said in a statement.
The two persons who died in the accident were identified as IFFCO Deputy Manager Abhay Nandan and Assistant Manager VP Singh. Out of the 16 injured IFFCO employees, including three contract labourers, two have been discharged while 14 others are undergoing treatment in different hospitals, the firm said.
IFFCO said the accident took place as tie rods of an ammonia plunger pump suddenly broke and got detached leading to heavy ammonia leakage. Following the leakage, IFFCO ordered a technical investigation into the cause of the gas leakage while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also ordered an administrative probe into the accident.
IFFCO Chief Executive and Managing Director US Awasthi expressed regret over the accident at the plant. He confirmed that the situation was now under control.
Out of the 16 injured, six were shifted to a hospital in Allahabad, while remaining 10 were admitted to IFFCO township hospital, the IFFCO said in its statement.
"Two of them have been discharged. The condition of the remaining fourteen is stable," it added. A technical enquiry committee, headed by an executive director rank officer, has been set up to find out the cause of the incident which took place on Tuesday night, the statement said.
Taking note of the accident, Chief Minister Adityanath also ordered a probe into the incident while announcing a financial help of Rs 4 lakh each for the family members of those who died in the incident.
While condoling the death of two IFFCO officials, CM Adityanath directed to provide financial help to each to their families. He also ordered a probe into the matter to ascertain its cause and directed officials to provide the best treatment to those admitted in the hospital.
Businesses With Monthly Turnover Of Over Rs 50 Lakh To Pay At Least 1% GST Liability In Cash
New Jersey Challenges New York Tax on Residents Working Remotely